restrictive
adjective
Did you know?
Restrictive covenants (that is, agreements) in real-estate deeds were once used to forbid the buyer from ever selling the property to anyone of another race. These are now illegal, though other kinds of restrictive covenants are very common; in some neighborhoods, they may even tell you what colors you can't paint your house. In grammar, a restrictive clause is one that limits the meaning of something that comes before it. In the sentence "That's the professor who I'm trying to avoid", "who I'm trying to avoid" is a restrictive clause, since it's what identifies the professor. But in the sentence "That's my History professor, who I'm trying to avoid", the same clause is nonrestrictive, since the professor has already been identified as "my History professor". There should always be a comma before a nonrestrictive clause, but not before a restrictive clause.
Examples of restrictive in a Sentence
Paul Grein, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025
The researchers also noted that the highest share of uninsured children, born with Medicaid or CHIP, was consistently estimated in states with the most restrictive Medicaid and CHIP eligibility criteria.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
The daycare owners also signed away their right to sue for flood damages, but the state did not place a restrictive covenant on their remaining property.
—Maia Rosenfeld, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
The visa aims to be less restrictive than other programs, including not requiring employer sponsorship.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for restrictive
Cite this Entry
“Restrictive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restrictive. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
restrictive
adjective
Legal Definition
restrictive
adjective
Share